


Cocoa and Confessions

by MoonlitPaladin (MoonlitStardust)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Confessions, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Shance Secret Santa 2018, Sweetness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 00:53:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17152238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlitStardust/pseuds/MoonlitPaladin
Summary: A snowstorm, two bored neighbors, and a confession that's been building for months.





	Cocoa and Confessions

“Didn’t the news report say that we’d be getting a max of 10 inches?”

 

Lance’s fingertips pressed against the bottom of the glass as he squinted out into the storm of white, looking for any sign that it was letting up despite not knowing what that sign would actually look like. Beyond the glass, it appeared that they were lost in a snowglobe with no end in sight.

 

“Have you ever known the forecast to be right when snow was involved?”

 

He sighed as he turned away from the window, eyeing his neighbor who was seated comfortably on his couch in a pair of black plaid pajama pants, with a white t-shirt, smiling at him over the rim of his mug. Butterflies within his stomach fluttered like mad every time that Lance met his warm, slate, gaze, and he wondered more and more every moment why he’d invited him over when he'd known he was going to be on edge. He'd never been particularly strong in the face of Shiro's smile, though, and when they'd seen each other in the hallway the invitation had flown out of his mouth before he had the mind to stop it.

 

“I’m glad neither of us had plans today because I don’t think we’d be making it far from the apartment,” Lance noted, taking a seat on the far end of the couch to safeguard his sanity. 

 

Takashi Shirogane, neighbor of four years and the most attractive man he’d ever met, watched his movement as he took a drink of his cocoa. 

 

“Do you think I’m going to bite, Lance, or is there another reason you’re always trying to put at least a couch length between us?”

 

Lance sputtered into his cup, sitting it hard down on the side table as he tried to dislodge the drink from his airway.

 

“You okay?”

 

“Fine!” He barked, putting a hand out to keep Shiro in his seat and away, ”fine, just went down the wrong way.”

 

“Yeah, that’s the only reason.”

 

His heartbeat thundering in his ears, he reluctantly gave Shiro his attention. God, but he was irritating- sitting there with that sexy smile, white tuft of bangs ruffled and perfect, his large, muscular frame turned towards Lance. Irritating and so, so, tempting. It had been absolute hell living beside him, not because of any negative attributes, rather because he was so incredibly thoughtful, kind, and gorgeous that he sent Lance’s heart speeding into overdrive every time they met… And they met  _ a lot _ . Lance could vividly remember the first time they were in the elevator together and the backs of their fingers touched, Shiro’s “ _ if you want to hold my hand, neighbor, all you have to do is ask _ ,” joke nearly sending him into a puddle on the spot and had him praying to every deity he knew that they made it to their floor so that someone wouldn’t have to find his soul-departed body in an elevator. Lance recalled the first time he’d seen him open the door shirtless, the first time that he’d invited Lance over because he could use some dinner company, and the first Christmas that he’d brought over a gift for ‘being such a great neighbor.’ 

 

How was he supposed to be any closer to him without his brain short-circuiting? Anyone who familiar with Lance knew that he wasn’t shy when it came to handing out a deserved compliment or making someone’s day a little brighter; they could call him a flirt, but seeing someone else smile left him feeling satisfied and optimistic about the rest of his day. A kind, well-meaning, compliment at the right time had the power to lift someone’s mood and Lance was liberal with them when he knew they would be well received. When it came to Shiro, however, Lance consistently found himself tongue-tied; he was… Shiro was just out of his league. Despite the many encounters they had in his fantasies, Lance kept himself as far from Shiro as possible so as not to embarrass either one of them with his attraction. But god, he was so attracted to him.

 

“What, a man can’t accidentally breathe his cocoa?”

 

“Most men that I know generally make a point not to,” Shiro drawled, resting an arm along the back of the couch, “what’s your excuse?”

 

_ That you’re tantalizing, I can’t stop thinking about you, and having you here is more than my heart can take. _

 

“I’m really clumsy, apparently.”

 

Shiro just raised a brow, “how long are you going to run with that?”

 

Awkward, Lance leaned his head back against the couch to avoid looking at him, “what do you want me to say?”

 

“I want you to tell me why I make you clam up. I can leave if you prefer, since I just seem to make you uncomfortable.”

 

Lance’s heart sank and he turned his attention back to Shiro, “it isn’t that you make me uncomfortable.”

 

Despite his words, Shiro’s mouth was still quirked into a knowing little half smile. 

 

“Do tell.”

 

“Stop it, you already know that I’m attracted to you,” Lance grumbled, feeling the tips of his ears redden as he tried to look everywhere but at him.

 

“You’re right, I do know. So, why is that so difficult for you to admit?”

 

Lance gestured at him, “yeah, have you seen you?”

 

“I do have a mirror.”

 

“Asshole,” Lance grumbled.

 

Shiro laughed and pushed himself up from the couch, padding slowly over to crouch in front of where Lance sat so that he couldn't look away from him, “I think you’re beautiful, Lance. I guess the only way to get through to you is to just tell you straight out.”

 

He couldn’t look away from him, from the soft grey-blue of his eyes and the way that he’d purposely made himself less intimidating by lowering his body. Lance’s heart had risen from his stomach only to be trapped in his throat.

 

“I, uh, think you’re pretty too.”

 

Shiro ducked his head to laugh, his smile so overwhelmingly dazzling when he looked back up at him that Lance almost forgot how to breathe. 

 

“Thank you, I’m happy to know that.”

 

“Ugh, just sit back on the couch before you make my head explode.”

 

“In a minute, I’m not finished being open yet.”

 

Lance gulped at the thought of what else the star of his daydreams had left to say on the matter.

 

“Would you be okay with going out with me, sometime? An actual date instead of another dinner in an apartment with a guy you couldn’t tell was trying to charm you.”

 

Groaning, Lance covered his face, “If you had just told me you were interested-”

 

“I didn’t think someone so open with flirting with the rest of our neighbors would have a hard time seeing what I was trying to do,” Shiro countered, “but you’re right, that’s my bad. That’s why I’m telling you now that I want to take you out and get to know you better.”

 

“Our other neighbors are women in their fifties!

 

Shiro just smiled at him, waiting for him to answer.

 

“...I’d love to go out with you.”

 

Shiro reached out and took his hand where it lay on the couch, watching him for any sign that he was uncomfortable, before he brought it to his lips and dusted a kiss over his knuckles before releasing.

 

“Next friday evening work for you?”

 

_ Not soon enough. _

 

“Sure, that works for me.”

 

Gracefully, he stood and stretched, “would it make you uncomfortable if i stayed around for a while?”

 

“No, I, uh, like it when you’re around.”

 

“I’m glad. I like spending time with you.”

 

“C’mon Shiro, I can only take so much right now,” Lance half laughed, half groaned, completely defeated by his words and still tingling from the touch of his lips against his hand. 

 

“I’ll be on my best behavior then and stay over here,” Shiro teased gently, taking his seat back on the other end of the couch, “I think with this snow that we’ll be stuck indoors for a while. If you’d like, I’d love to have you join me for dinner tonight, but there’s no pressure.”

 

Being open with Shiro left him feeling infinitely more comfortable and he beamed him a smile, “I’d actually really like that. Maybe this time I’ll pick up on that charm you keep telling me about.”

 

The pair laughed and, for the first time, actually began to talk. Their conversations had been light before then, shallow back and forths about the weather and their day. Now their words had meaning, the stories that they shared showing their depth. It took an hour or so before the conversation actually felt easy, nerves relaxing little by little. By the time that they had crossed the hall to his apartment for dinner, Shiro had talked about his prosthetic and Lance about how much he missed his family, both of them discovering the other for the first time. Waiting for a date to get to know him? No, Lance wanted to know him now. He wanted to know what made him smile such a beautiful smile and what made it fall away. 

 

The snow outside continued to fall, blanketing the world around them, but neither man noticed. No, for amidst the scent of a fresh Christmas tree and the wafting aroma of chocolate they were too busy discovering the warmth of friendship and the spark of something thrilling and new.


End file.
